Hebei Province – Credit Wikipedia
#7501
From the World Health Organization’s Global Alert & Response (GAR) page, we’ve details on China’s first new H7N9 case reported since the end of May (note: we learned of a retrospective case from April earlier this month).
After the @WHO update, we have a brief report from China’s official news agency, Xinhua.
Human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus – update 20 July 2013
20/07/2013
20 JULY 2013 - The National Health and Family Planning Commission, China notified WHO of an additional laboratory-confirmed case of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus. This is the first new confirmed case of human infection with Influenza A(H7N9) since 29 May 2013.
The patient is a 61 year-old woman from Langfang City in Hebei Province who became ill on 10 July 2013. She was admitted to a local hospital from 10-15 July and transferred to a hospital in Beijing on 18 July . She is in a critical condition. On 20 July 2013, Beijing Municipal Center for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed H7N9 by nucleic acid detection.
To date, WHO has been informed of a total of 134 laboratory-confirmed human cases with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus including 43 deaths. Four cases are hospitalized and 87 have been discharged. So far, there is no evidence of sustainable human to human transmission.
The Chinese government continues to take strict monitoring, prevention and control measures, including: Strengthening of epidemic surveillance and analysis; deployment of medical treatment; conducting public risk communication and information dissemination; strengthening international cooperation and exchanges; and is continuing to carry out scientific research.
WHO does not advise special screening at points of entry with regard to this event, nor does it currently recommend any travel or trade restrictions.
The following Xinhua reports suggests a potential point of contact with the virus (a farmer’s market), and mentions that 9 close family contacts have shown no symptoms of infection.
New H7N9 patient in critial condition in Beijing
Xinhua, July 20, 2013
A woman from north China's Hebei Province Saturday became the latest confirmed case of the H7N9 strain of bird flu, said health authorities in Beijing.
The 61-year-old from the city of Langfang, Hebei, developed symptoms including cough and fever on July 10 and was diagnosed as suffering from severe pneumonia four days later, the Beijing municipal health bureau said in a statement.
Her condition did not turn better after treatment and she was therefore transferred to an intensive care unit in Beijing Chaoyang Hospital on Thursday.
She was confirmed positive of the deadly H7N9 bird flu strain on Saturday and is currently under emergency treatment.
Before developing the illness, the woman often bought vegetables from a local farm produce market near her home where live poultry are sold, the statement said.
Nine family members who have had close contacts with her have not shown any flu symptoms.
Earlier 132 human cases of H7N9 avian flu were reported on the Chinese mainland, including 43 that have ended in death, after the virus was first discovered in March, according to updates released by the National Health and Family Planning Commission on July 10.
